Walking outside, they all followed Lina to the parking lot. Each person got on their respective jet bike and revved up the engines, ready to go.
"Okay follow me!" Lina yelled over the growing noise.
Lina zoomed off on her jet bike with Zelgadis, Gourry, Martina, and Zangulus trying to catch up. None of them had expected Lina to speed off like that except Amelia who knew from past experience.
Lina looked back and sighed. She slowed down a bit, giving the other guys time to catch up. 'I have to make sure I keep them close by or I am going to loose them.'
With the group together they went on a twisting route around buildings all over the city. They followed Lina all thinking that she was being mad and leading them around aimlessly. That is when they started to get shot at. It was about four or five of Vernas' goons and they were armed to boot. Lina had noticed this before but rather than tell everyone she wanted to see if she could shake them herself.
"Miss Lina, what are we going to do?" Amelia's voice could be faintly heard on the jet bike communications system. It was set so that everyone could hear her but not including the bad guys.
"Well we have to either shake them or deal with them. We can't let them find out the location of STF headquarters. My dad would kill me!"
"I don't think we can deal with them now. Four more just joined them and they've got some heavy artillery." Zelgadis said in a calm yet serious voice.
"Don't worry leave this up to me!"
"Lina what are going to do?"
"Never you mind! Just keep going ahead at a good speed. Whatever you do don't slow down!"
Before anyone could argue with her she cut her communications link and turned around. Everyone did as told except Zel. He stayed at a slower speed so that he could see what Lina was doing.
At first it looked like Lina was playing chicken and was going to suddenly swerve to the right or left before she hit them. But from what Zelgadis could see it would be impossible to do it. Lina when she was about to it them turned her bike to the right so that she was at a right degree angle to them and going to hit them hard. Zelgadis sped into action and turned around just in time to see Lina's bike hits theirs and see Lina go flying from the explosion. Lina didn't hit the ground. Zelgadis caught her in his arms almost wiping out on his bike.
Lina sat in his lap on the bike a bit startled.
"How did you do that?" Lina yelled over the engine.
"Lucky catch I guess."
"Well not only do I have a new excuse to get a new bike but now I get to ride a jet bike while on a very cute LPD officers lap."
"Yeah well um, I'm happy your hear too." Zel was blushing faintly.
Everyone groaned. Zelgadis hadn't turned off the communications system and everyone could hear them. Lina didn't care, but this really did embarrass Zel, he was blushing all the way to the STF headquarters.
Since Lina's bike was totaled Amelia took over with leading everyone to the headquarters. When they get there, the LPD officers are surprised. The STF headquarters is nothing more than a covered parking lot.
"This is STF?"
"Well not quite we still have to do one more thing." Lina said directed everyone on where to go.
Over in a small section of a wall there's door that leads to an empty room. Once inside the room Lina touched a section of the wall and this whole electronic interface emerged from it. Typing in passwords and going through finger and eye scans the a new door opens and they go down to find a long corridor that took them down to an elevator that took them down to another electronic interface that took them ... you get the picture. (This is just for security) Finally they reach the end of all this to find STF headquarters.
"Okay was that all really necessary?"
"I really don't think so, but the government is really paranoid. They are afraid that some terrorist might get in here."
"Why would it be bad if someone managed to get in here?"
"Well as well as doing dangerous field missions, STF does dangerous chemical experiments. We have things from bio weapons to cures to the common cold. But what is really got them scared is if someone gets in here and mucks around with the STF main computer system. It's the most powerful and most intelligent computer so far and it's always being improved. It has the whole worlds records on it, and is connected to everything. If you really wanted to mess up the world with computers than this would be the best place to do it. But that provided you can get through all the security we just went through and the rest leading up to the main computer."
"You mean there's more?"
"Yeah, but we wont have to go there. Or at least I don't think we'll have to. I wont know till we go see whoever it is that wants to see you guys."
"You mean you don't know?"
"No, do you remember hearing them say that so and so wants you to come back to base? No. They never tell you. I think that way you can't pretend you didn't get the message if you have to meet someone you don't like."
"So which way do we go? This place is like a maze..." Zangulus comment as he looked around the STF headquarters. There were people everywhere, many different rooms and levels as well as a thousand different directions you could go.
"Just follow me. We can go taking that entrance there. It's the fastest way to get to the debriefing room, but we'll have to walk through the cafeteria in order to get there."
"You just want to snag some food don't you Miss Lina?" Amelia said with narrowed eyes.
"What are you talking about? And would you please stop calling me 'Miss Lina' it's really getting on my nerves!"
Amelia didn't say anything and Lina just sighed.
If they thought the main lobby to the STF was busy they were sure in for a shock when they went to the cafeteria. It was jammed with people and they were all nosily chatting. Zelgadis, Zangulus, Gourry and Martina were afraid of getting lost in there and it didn't help matters that Lina suddenly disappeared. But she was very quickly found after she ran out of the kitchen with pots and pans being thrown at her.
"Sure not going to eat she says..." Amelia says giving Lina a dry look.
"Hey I never said that I wasn't going to try. I only asked you what you were talking about."
Amelia rolled her eyes.
"Hey Lina my love go on a date with me please!" An agent yelled to Lina as they passed by a table.
"In your dreams."
"Ah Lina your breaking my heart!"
"I only wish." Lina just blew a kiss to anyone in the room as they left to go through another corridor.
"Another corridor?!"
"Yes, but this the last one I promise."
Lina leads them through a door that took them into a indoor garden. What was weird about it was that it looked like they were outside.
"This is a relaxation place were some people go to let out some tension. The designer of this room wanted to make it look as real as possible so that you actually felt like you were outside." Amelia explained.
"Well he did a good job."
"She actually."
"Oh."
After they went through the garden they were brought to another corridor. Everyone glares at Lina.
"You said that the last one was the last one."
"Well it is because this is were the debriefing room is. Right this way." Lina motioned to a door that lead them into a very dark room.